Our Mission:To combat the sudden cardiac arrest crisis by eliminating preventable deaths and supporting those who have been affected.

Shop for a Cause at Macy's on Aug. 24SCAAOn Saturday, Aug. 24, Macy's will host its 8th annual Shop For A Cause benefiting charities nationwide. Since 2006, Shop For A Cause has raised more than $45 million for charities across the country. This is your opportunity to be part of the excitement. The SCAA will receive special savings passes to sell for $5 each and keep 100 percent of the proceeds. For only $5 you can purchase a shopping pass that will save you 25 percent off* on regular, sale and clearance merchandise, including designer brands you love, throughout the store, as well as 10 percent off electronics, furniture, mattresses and area rugs. And, you will be eligible to win a $500 gift card, no purchase necessary.

PrepMDPrepMD trains and employs medical device clinical specialists; individuals who guide the use of cardiac pacemakers and implantable defibrillators on behalf of Fortune 100 companies such as St. Jude Medical, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Biotronik. PrepMD device specialists support the physicians who apply such cardiac device therapies to cardiac patients.

HEARTSTRONG updateGive ForwardHEARTSTRONG, which is made up of three 7th-graders — Gracie Soultanian, Jacqueline Stiles and Allison Cebollero, has raised $2,500 towards the purchase of AEDs from their fundraiser on giveforward.com, but they still need our help! HEARTSTRONG has managed to place one AED and, from an essay contest through Parent Heart Watch, Gracie won another to place in her community. Gracie had her first CPR class on July 13 where she is getting certified herself. And she invited the team coaches for the Broncos — a youth football club for the Ayer-Shirley area of Massachusetts. Check out the HEARTSTRONG Facebook page and be sure to "Like" it.

To donate to HEARTSTRONG and help further their cause, please click here. Any amount helps!

School screening test saves student's lifeKING-TVA heart screening test at a high school in Seattle saved one young man's life, as it has for other student athletes across the country. Last fall, Will Recla's heart was checked during a high school screening sponsored by the Nick of Time Foundation. The screening found that he had a heart murmur, and follow-up testing revealed that Recla had a faulty heart valve and damaged aorta.

Build A Powerful Online PresenceiPage makes it easy and affordable to create a powerful website for your business – no experience necessary. Add to that a 24x7 support team and tons of free marketing tools, and you’ve got the recipe for online success! You can drive more traffic and get more customers than ever before.

New study says preparation can prevent cardiac arrest fatalities in high school athletesAED.comDr. Jonathan Drezner of the University of Washington in Seattle recently presented findings at the National Trainers' Association regarding survival outcomes for high school student athletes who suffered cardiac arrest. Drezner and his team conducted a two-year long observational study of 2,149 high schools. During those two years, 59 sudden cardiac arrests occurred. Seventy-one percent of these 59 victims survived at least past their hospital discharge — stunning compared to the 8 percent survival rate for patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital.

Survivor's story: Taylor MaierSCAAHis senior year of high school, during pregame warm-ups, Taylor Maier was with his teammates in the end zone waiting for the game to begin. He stood up and suddenly felt dizzy. The next thing he remembers is his dad's voice calling him back to consciousness, and he opened my eyes to see gathering of doctors, teammates and family surrounding him.

Police officer saves young girl's life with CPRWest Yellowstone NewsThe life of 8-year-old Fiona Daley was saved last week due to the speedy response of police officer Mike Gavagan, Hebgen Basin Fire District paramedics and EMTs as well as a woman who called 911. Daley's heart had stopped and she was not breathing when Gavagan arrived on scene, but first responders were able to revive the young girl.

Canadian Honda employee honoured for life-saving actionsNorthern LifeHaving worked as a paramedic in his younger years, when Palladino Honda inventory manager Paul Marcon saw a customer collapse at the business June 26, his reaction was automatic. He said he'd been talking to a woman, who is in her 70s, about a vehicle out in the car dealership's parking lot, when she suddenly fell to the ground.

Nurse who gave CPR to girl at Splash Montana raises safety concernsMissoulianThe nurse who gave CPR to a toddler at Splash Montana has concerns about how the situation was handled. The mother of the 14-year-old boy who rescued the unconscious, blue-lipped girl said the city of Missoula needs more lifeguards at the popular water park.

Varied quality of CPR among EMS, hospitals hurts survivalAmerican Heart Association via Science CodexThe quality of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) you receive may vary, depending on the EMS department or hospital administering it, according to the American Heart Association.
In a statement published in its journal Circulation, the association calls for a renewed focus on improving resuscitation techniques and tracking.

SCAA welcomes 2 new chaptersSCAACongratulations to the two new chapters of the SCAA: LifeForce Foundation in Howell, N.J., and Reawakened Heart — the Texoma Chapter in Gainesville, Texas. Thank you to our new chapters for helping the SCAA continue to raise awareness about how to combat the sudden cardiac arrest crisis.

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Bakersfield Kern Chapter July newsletterSCAACongresswoman Lois Capps, D-Calif., announced she has
introduced the Teaching Children to Save Lives Act (H.R. 2308), legislation that would provide critical
resources to assist schools with teaching students across the country the life-saving skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use automated external
defibrillators (AED). Read the July issue of the Bakersfield Kern Chapter newsletter to learn more.

Dr. Dana Johnson: Defibrillators and childrenWisconsin State Journal"You may have noticed more and more AEDs available in public places," Dr. Dana Johnson writes. "They can be found in schools, churches, airports and many other public places. I even saw one at a local car dealership recently. Why would we want these devices in so many places? The answer is quite simple: Time equals brain cells."

Have an idea, question or opinion you would like to share? Please email info@suddencardiacarrest.org with your comment as we will be looking for more information to put in our "Letters to the Editor" section of Keep It Beating.